Tourists should have put up fight against terrorists in Pahalgam: Haryana BJP MP Jangra

Rajya Sabha MP Ram Chander Jangra on Saturday courted a controversy with his remarks that the tourists, who lost their lives in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, should have put up a fight against the terrorists, and the women, who lost their husbands in the attack, should have acted like ‘veerangna’ (warrior women).

The BJP’s Rajya Sabha MP from Haryana was addressing a gathering here at an event organised to mark the 300^th birth anniversary of Ahilyabai Holkar.

Twenty-six people were killed in the terror attack in Pahalgam in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district on April 22.

Addressing the gathering, Jangra also said that the number of casualties would have been less had the tourists undergone the Agniveer training.

The BJP MP said that the women, who lost their husbands in the terror attack, “lacked” the spirit of the warrior women.

“’Wahan par jo hamari veerangnay behane thee, jinki maang ka sindoor chheen liya gaya, Veerangna ka bhaav nahin tha, josh nahin tha, jazba nahin tha, dil nahin tha, isliye haath jod ke goli ka shikaar ho gaye’ (Women, who lost their husbands, did not have the spirit and vigour. Therefore, they became victims of the attack),” Jangra said.

“’Lekin haath jodne se koi chhodta nahin. Hamare aadmi vahan par haath jodkar maare gaye. (Terrorists do not leave one with requests. Our people died with folded hands),” he added.

The BJP MP said had the women, who lost their husbands in the attack, read Holkar’s history then nobody would have killed their husbands in this way in front of them.

“’Agar yaatri training pass kiye hote, to teen ugarvaadi 26 logon ko nahin mar sakte the’ (Had our tourists passed the training then three terrorists could not have killed 26 people),” he said.

Referring to the Agniveer scheme, the BJP MP said had each tourist undergone Agniveer training, they could have surrounded the terrorists and casualties would have been less.

Jangra later said that the tourists should have put up a fight against the terrorists.

“’Bilkul ladna chahihye tha. Aur agar ladte, to kam shahadat hoti aur kam log maare jaate. Haath jodne se kaun chhodta hai? Wo to maarne ke liye aaye the...Vo to aatankvaadi the. Unke dil mein daya thodi thee. (Had they (tourists) fought, the casualties would have been less. They—terrorists—had come with an intention to kill people. They did not have mercy),” Jangra said while responding to a question later.